The Liberty Movement and the Impact of Trolls

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Like all other mass movements, the liberty movement has its share of trolls. Rather than engaging in honest discussion or debate and trying to persuade people that liberty is the way to go, libertarian trolls just want to stir the pot and get others riled up. Rather than pointing out examples of libertarian trolling and thus giving them free publicity, let’s instead examine the repercussions of trolling and see why we shouldn’t feed the trolls.

After interacting with a pack of trolls, those who are already skeptical about libertarianism will likely be left unsatisfied that more freedom will work. This may be because the trolls failed to answer questions about how a libertarian society would work or because the person has decided that a society full of trolls won’t last long, or both. Someone who’s new to libertarianism can be intimidated by trolling and bullying into not asking questions about the philosophy, and someone interested in learning more about libertarianism may be turned off completely by the negativity. In each scenario, trolling reinforces negative stereotypes about libertarians and makes it harder for people to take libertarian ideas seriously.

There are some libertarian groups and circles that are dedicated specifically for trolling and sharing offensive content. When it comes to public groups and circles, though, it’s best to represent libertarianism in a positive light. Correcting falsehoods with truths, gracefully confronting an unpopular or misleading narrative, and making a point about right and wrong can and should be done; there’s no need for provocateurs to push the envelope just for its own sake. Those who engage in such a practice do far more harm than good for the liberty movement, and if trolling constitutes the bulk or even entirety of they’re interested in doing, should they be considered trusted allies? Is it worth it to have allies who misrepresent libertarian ideas and drive people away?

We live in a sound bite culture. Most people nowadays aren’t interested in reading a book or watching a series describing a whole new political system. This can work both for and against us. Where trolling is involved, it absolutely works against us. Trolling rarely includes any useful information, and even when it does, the negativity and cynicism that come with the territory will nullify whatever point the troll may have made and incline the listener to think that libertarianism is a joke. However, the sound bite culture can work in our favor if we make use of short phrases that explain libertarian ideas while appealing to the self-interest of the listener. It could be as simple as asking an open-ended question about what the listener would do with that money if he could keep his entire paycheck after eliminating the income tax or pointing out that people who can’t be trusted with freedom can’t be trusted with power.

These are some things to consider when it comes to the presentation and messaging of libertarian ideas. I wrote this because I believe that in politics, perception is reality. No matter what libertarians believe or what they’re trying to get across when they talk about their ideas, the way they come across to others makes all the difference. Some people are never going to take libertarianism seriously even if every libertarian they meet practices all of Harry Browne’s resolutions, while others who are open to a conversation may be turned away by poor communication strategies or people who are clearly not taking anything seriously. There’s no point in reaching out to someone who’ll never listen, but why make it harder than necessary to reach out to someone who might?